Department for Transport

Cycleways

lord laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government under what legislation the siting of cycle lanes is arranged in UK cities and towns; and what steps are taken to ensure that legislation is properly applied.

baroness sugg: The Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2016 prescribe the traffic signs and road markings that can be used on the UK road network including those used for cycle lanes. Local authorities are responsible for the design and installation of cycle lanes and for ensuring that they are signed and marked in compliance with the legislation.

Driving Tests

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the language requirements for those taking the theory test as part of their application for a driving licence;whether other language options are available; and if so, at what centres in the UK such tests are available.

baroness sugg: Driving theory test candidates are required to take the multiple choice part of the theory test in English in England and Scotland; candidates in Wales have the option of taking the test in either English or Welsh. Deaf or hard of hearing candidates across GB have the option of taking the test using an on-screen signer using British Sign Language.

Tolls

lord hunt of chesterton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment theyhave made of whether tolls could be introduced to fund the expansion and environmental improvement of the strategic road network.

baroness sugg: The Government is spending £15 billion through its Road Investment Strategy to improve the Strategic Road Network. No systematic assessment has been made about using tolls for funding expansion and improvement of the strategic road network in general. However, the Government considers that tolls can have a role in funding expensive infrastructure such as river crossings.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Small Business Commissioner

baroness byford: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Small Business Commissioner is able to intervene where service suppliers demand payment in less than 30 days from the date of the invoice.

lord henley: The Small Business Commissioner will consider complaints about payment issues between small business suppliers (with fewer than 50 staff) and their larger customers, making non-binding recommendations. A complaint will be considered by the Small Business Commissioner if it relates to a payment matter which could be a request or other act, or a failure to pay or other omission in relation to payment.

Electricity: Fees and Charges

lord donoughue: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers byLord Prior of Brampton on 26 October (HL2180–HL2182), in relation to electricity costs, what has been the percentage increase in Transmission Network Use of System charges between 2007 and 2017.

lord donoughue: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers byLord Prior of Brampton on 26 October (HL2180–HL2182), in relation to electricity costs, what has been the percentage increase in Distribution Services Use of System charges between 2007 and 2017.

lord donoughue: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers byLord Prior of Brampton on 26 October (HL2180–HL2182), in relation to electricity costs, what has been the percentage increase in Balancing Services Use of System charges between 2007 and 2017.

lord henley: Network charging is a matter for Ofgem as the independent energy regulator, and Government does not hold the requested data. Ofgem has published an ‘Infographic: The Energy Network’ which shows that network costs fell by 45% following privatisation. There was then a planned increase in network costs from around 2006 to around 2015 to pay for network upgrades, with network costs remaining broadly flat since then. Network costs are still around 17% below levels at the time of privatisation due to improved efficiency, and have remained at around 25% of the average dual fuel bill for some time.

Energy: Prices

lord donoughue: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the findings by Dieter Helm, in his report Cost of Energy Review, commissioned by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, that (1) the legacy costs from the Renewables Obligation Certificates, the feed-in tariffs, and low carbon contracts for difference are a major contributor to rising final prices, and (2) energy prices should be falling, and they should go on falling into the medium and longer terms.

lord henley: Professor Helm conducted an independent review. The Government will now take time to assess its findings carefully. We have launched a Call for Evidence to gather views from the energy industry, academics, businesses, consumer groups and other stakeholders.

Energy: Costs

lord donoughue: To ask Her Majesty's Government, in commissioning future energy projects, what account they intend to take of the full system and intermittency cost of competing technologies, and whether they intend to implement an Equivalent Firm Power capacity auction.

lord henley: Professor Helm conducted an independent review which, among other things, made recommendations regarding full system and intermittency costs, and a system of Equivalent Firm Power capacity auctions. The government will now take time to assess its findings carefully. We have launched a Call for Evidence to gather views from the energy industry, academics, businesses, consumer groups and other stakeholders.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

North Korea: Military Attachés

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what duties the UK’s Defence Attaché to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea has undertaken since their appointment; how often they have visited the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea; and what is the estimated cost of maintaining that post.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The UK’s non-resident Defence Attaché to the Democratic People’s Republic for Korea has held two meetings with his counterparts since taking office. The issues were related to the accreditation process required by the UK’s non-resident Defence Attaché. The Defence Attaché has not visited the Democratic Republic of Korea. There are no identified costs associated with maintaining this post.

North Korea: Military Attachés

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the current Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s Defence Attaché has visited the UK; whether any of those visits were fully, or in part, subsidised by any publicly funded body; and what assessment they have made of the possibility that that Defence Attaché may have been trained by the intelligence services of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The current Democratic People’s Republic of Korea Defence Attaché to the UK, who is non-resident and based in Moscow, has not visited the UK in an official capacity.

Yemen: Military Intervention

lord ahmed: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Saudi Arabia in relation to the humanitarian crisis in Yemen; and to what effect.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: Addressing the humanitarian crisis in Yemen is a priority for the UK and we continue to raise the issue with our regional and international partners. The Foreign Secretary has raised his concerns about the impact of the access restrictions on the humanitarian situation with the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, most recently on 23 November. The Minister for the Middle East did the same with the UAE Deputy Foreign Minister on 13 November and the Saudi Foreign Minister on 21 November. The Foreign Secretary has also discussed the humanitarian crisis in Yemen with the UN Secretary General.

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe

the marquess of lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government how long it will take to determine whether to offer Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe diplomatic protection.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The question of whether it is possible to offer diplomatic protection to Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe is a complex one involving a range of both legal and other considerations. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is considering all aspects of the issue and will discuss it with her husband in the first instance.

Zimbabwe: Sanctions

lord blencathra: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the statement byLord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 15 November (HL Deb, col 2028) that Robert Mugabe’s “followers were looting and plundering that richly endowed country”, and in the light of sanctions having previously been imposed on Robert and Grace Mugabe, why financial sanctions havenot been imposed on other persons involved or connected with theMugabe regime.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: EU sanctions were imposed on others in the Mugabe regime in the past, but successively lifted over the years, except for Mugabe, his wife and Zimbabwe Defence Industries. There are suspended sanctions on five security chiefs.

Robert Mugabe

lord blencathra: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to make representations at the UN to have Robert Mugabe brought before the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity and the killing of 20,000 of the Matabele people in Zimbabwe.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The United Nations Security Council can refer situations, not individuals, to the International Criminal Court Prosecutor for investigation. Any decision to refer to the International Criminal Court must be made on the basis of what will be the most effective means to bring perpetrators of atrocities and those who have assisted them to account.

Robert Mugabe

lord blencathra: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, in conjunction with international partners, to support efforts to recover the billions reportedly stolen by Robert Mugabe over the last 36 years as President of Zimbabwe.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The British Government has not been asked to help recover any assets from former President Robert Mugabe.

Islamic State

baroness stern: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of the United States regarding the legal criteria under which an individual is deemed to be a member of ISIS.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: Everyone who returns from taking part in the conflict in Syria or Iraq must expect to be investigated by the police to determine if they have committed criminal offences, and to ensure that they do not pose a threat to our national security.Those who have committed criminal offences should expect to be prosecuted for their crimes under the full range of existing counter terrorism legislation. Any decision on whether to prosecute will be taken by the police and Crown Prosecution Service on a case by case basisWe continue to work closely with the US and our other partners in the Global Coalition to defeat Daesh and to ensure justice for those who have suffered at their hands. The Foreign Secretary discusses the Global Coalition's action against Daesh on a regular basis with US colleagues.

Zimbabwe: Commonwealth

lord boateng: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the possibility of Zimbabwe's return to the Commonwealth, and of the steps necessary to secure this.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: Zimbabwe will need to demonstrate commitment to free and fair elections, the rule of law and independence of the judiciary, as per the Commonwealth's admission criteria. Their eventual readmittance to the Commonwealth will be a matter for all Commonwealth members to decide following a formal approach by Zimbabwe to the Commonwealth Secretariat.

Zimbabwe: African Union

lord boateng: To ask Her Majesty's Government what support they have offered to the African Union for its activities in Zimbabwe.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The African response to the situation in Zimbabwe is being led by the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC). The UK supports its efforts. The Minister for Africa, Rory Stewart MP (Member of Parliament for Penrith and The Border) discussed Zimbabwe with AU Chairperson Faqi on Wednesday 22 November.

Zimbabwe: Commonwealth

lord boateng: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have made representations to the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth to support the Commonwealth's re-engagement with Zimbabwe.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​Her Majesty's Government officials have clarified the process that would need to be followed for Zimbabwe to re-join the Commonwealth with the Commonwealth Secretary General on Monday 20 November.

Zimbabwe: Visits Abroad

lord boateng: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the timing, and the possible impact of, a Ministerial visit to Zimbabwe and its neighbouring states to discuss UK support for political and economic stability in Zimbabwe; and if so, when.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The Minister for Africa visited Zimbabwe on 23 and 24 November. He met with actors from across the political spectrum, including President Emmerson Mnangagwa and opposition leaders Morgan Tsvangirai and Joice Mujuru. The UK is clear that the only way for Zimbabwe to achieve a legitimate government is through free and fair elections. We welcome President Mnangagwa's commitment to hold free and fair elections next year and we will do all we can to support a legitimate government rebuild the country, working with international and regional partners. The visit was an early opportunity to deliver these messages. Both the Foreign Secretary and the Minister for Africa are engaging with the region and other international partners on this matter.

Sudan: Politics and Government

baroness cox: To ask Her Majesty's Government, with reference to the commitment in a letter to the APPG on Sudan and South Sudan by the Minister of State for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Rory Stewart MP, dated 23 August to “support Sudan to achieve sustainable peace, an improved human rights situation and political reform”, how they define “political reform”; and what steps they propose to take to promote such reform.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: Our priorities for political reform in Sudan include improving civil and political freedoms, opening space for freedoms of religion or belief, tackling sexual and gender-based violence, and increasing respect for the rule of law and international humanitarian law. We will support steps towards a free, fair, and credible election in 2020, including greater freedom of assembly and organisation for political parties, and increased media freedoms. We will continue to engage with the Government of Sudan at all levels, including through the UK-Sudan Strategic Dialogue, to promote these objectives.

Sudan: Peace Negotiations

baroness cox: To ask Her Majesty's Government, with reference to the letter from the Minister of State for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Rory Stewart MP, to the APPG on Sudan and South Sudan dated 23 August, how they propose to “press for a genuine, inclusive and transparent National Dialogue process in Sudan”, given that the provision in the Road Map Agreement to hold a preparatory meeting with the opposition to discuss how to make the National Dialogue was not taken forward and that President Bashir proceeded to close the National Dialogue in October 2016.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We have welcomed the government of Sudan's stated readiness to keep the National Dialogue process open for other groups to join, after October 2016. The UK has continued to call for a National Dialogue that is inclusive, genuine, and Sudanese-led, and has encouraged all sides to engage constructively to that endWe have also supported the efforts of the chair of the African Union High-Level Implementation Panel (AUHIP) and the chief mediator of the Road Map, President Thabo Mbeki, to convince the government of Sudan to proceed with the National Dialogue in an inclusive way, and to convince the opposition to resume their participation constructively, in keeping with the spirit of the Agreement.

Sudan: Peace Negotiations

baroness cox: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to invite the Sudan Call opposition alliance to visit the UK to discuss the peace process; whether UK engagement with opposition forces in Sudan is limited to those parties based in Khartoum; and what is their level of structured discussion with Sudan Call in comparison to that held with the government of Sudan.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The British Government has no plans to invite the Sudan Call alliance to visit the UK. We have continued to promote and encourage conflict resolution and dialogue through our role in the Troika, engaging regularly with both the government of Sudan and with opposition groups from across the country. We continue to give financial and political support to the African Union High Level Implementation Plan to mediate ongoing peace talks, and welcomed the signing of the Roadmap Agreement by the Government of Sudan and the Sudan Call alliance. Most recently, the UK Special Representative to Sudan, with his Troika counterparts, met with representatives of Sudan Call during a visit to Khartoum on 7 to 8 November.

Sudan: Politics and Government

baroness cox: To ask Her Majesty's Government, with reference to the letter from the Minister of State for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Rory Stewart MP, to the APPG on Sudan and South Sudan dated 23 August, whether they will publish the high level objectives document with agreed action points that they have developed with the government of Sudan; and what assessment they have made of progress made against these objectives.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The British Government has no plans to publish the high level objectives document developed with the Government of Sudan. We will continue to monitor progress against the objectives and agreed action points, and most recently discussed them with the Government of Sudan at the fourth session of the UK-Sudan Strategic Dialogue on 16 October. A communiqué outlining the progress made is now available on the UK Government's website.

Department for Education

Student Loans Company

lord mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the (1)performance, (2) management, and (3)governance, of the Student Loans Company; and what plans they have to review the Student Loans Company’s performance and governance structures.

viscount younger of leckie: Student Loans Company’s (SLC) performance remains strong, with customer satisfaction rates for applicants currently stable at around 85%, and for borrowers in repayment at around 72%. In this academic year, SLC has processed over 1.4 million applications for student funding, and has paid out approximately £2.5 billion in maintenance funding and £2 billion in tuition fee payments to providers. SLC services around 1.8 million applications per year, responds to 4.5 million phone calls from borrowers and has over 6 million repaying or due to repay customers with loans totalling more than £100 billion. In addition, it has delivered a range of new products on time and successfully. This includes Post Graduate Loans and simplified Advanced Learner Loans. SLC has demonstrated significant improvements in its operational performance over the last 6 years, and last year the Company received complaints about its service from fewer than 0.1% of its customers. In addition, the performance of the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) is reviewed regularly by the chairman, and annually by the responsible minister. Following the recent termination of the CEO’s contract, the SLC Board, in consultation with its shareholders, has acted swiftly to appoint Peter Lauener, currently Chief Executive of the Education and Standards Funding Agency, and Institute for Apprenticeships, as Interim CEO from Monday 27 November. SLC’s governance performance and management is kept continually under review to ensure learners and their sponsors receive the high quality service they expect.

Student Loans Company

lord mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government what reviews or audits of the Student Loans Company have been undertaken in the past five years; and what companies or individuals were employed to carry out those activities.

viscount younger of leckie: The Student Loans Company (SLC) is subject to a rigorous programme of internal and external audits through the Government Internal Audit Agency, its external auditor KPMG, and the National Audit Office (NAO). In addition, the NAO have undertaken a number of specific reviews pertaining to SLC, such as the report into Student Loan Repayments published in November 2013 and Alternative Higher Education Providers in October 2017 (see attached reports). The SLC is also within the scope of a number of Parliamentary Committees, including the Education Select Committee and the Public Accounts Committee. The reports are published at the following addresses:https://www.nao.org.uk/press-release/student-loan-repayments/.https://www.nao.org.uk/report/follow-up-on-alternative-higher-education-providers/.



Student Loan Repayments
(PDF Document, 396.2 KB)




Follow up on alternative Higher Education Provider
(PDF Document, 646.47 KB)

Steve Lamey

lord mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many formal complaintsthey receivedabout Steve Lamey while he was Chief Executive of the Student Loans Company; how many of those complaints were upheld; and what investigations were carried out into Steve Lamey's performance as Chief Executive of the Student Loans Company.

viscount younger of leckie: Two whistleblowers raised separate allegations about Steve Lamey whilst he was Chief Executive of the Student Loans Company (SLC). Two separate independent investigations were put in place to investigate these allegations. The allegations raised against Steve Lamey were fully considered by SLC as his employer, in line with established SLC processes. For reasons of confidentiality there are no plans to make public the investigation reports or the detailed findings they contain.

Sick Leave

lord mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many days were lost through sickness absence in each of the past five years (1) at the Student Loans Company, (2) at the Department for Education, and (3) for the average UK worker.

viscount younger of leckie: The number of days that are lost through sickness absence for the Student Loans Company (SLC) and the Department for Education are set out in the attached document. The data for the financial year 2017/18, in the attached table, shows that the number of days lost from April to October has reduced by 26% from 2016/17. This decrease can be contributed to the introduction of a new Attendance Management Policy from August 2017 which has seen the days lost each month reduce by over 30%. Even with seasonal variation in sickness levels, we would expect the reduction in days lost to still remain at 26% due to the continued attention paid to sickness absence within SLC. If this reduction was maintained until the end of the 2017/18 financial year we would see the average number of days lost per employee reduce to less than 12 days. The Office for National Statistics holds data on sickness absences for the average UK worker, which is available on their website.



Sickness Absence for SLC and DfE
(Word Document, 15.36 KB)

The Senior Deputy Speaker

House of Lords Grand Committee

lord sharkey: To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker on how many sitting days, excluding Fridays, in (1) this session to date, and (2) each ofthe previous three sessions, there has been no business taken in the Moses Room.

lord mcfall of alcluith: As of 17 November 2017, there had been 42 sitting days, excluding Fridays, in this session when no business was taken in the Moses Room. For the 2016-17 session there were 96 days, excluding Fridays, when no business was taken in the Moses Room; for the 2015-16 session this figure was 100 days and for the 2014-15 session it was 33 days.

Work of the House of Lords

lord palmer: To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker how much it cost to produce the pamphlet Work of the House of Lords 2016–17;and how many copies were sent to people outside the parliamentary estate.

lord mcfall of alcluith: The 2016-17 edition of the Work of the House of Lords cost £7,229 for a print run of 20,000 copies. Of these, 3,728 copies were sent to libraries and universities at the time of publication. Further copies will be distributed to people outside of the parliamentary estate through various outreach activities over the course of the current session.

Ministry of Defence

Military Decorations

lord west of spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether new Long Service Medals were struck for four star retired officers of the three services who remain on the active list.

earl howe: Long Service and Good Conduct Medals are struck for all Officers who were in Regular service on 29 July 2014, and who served for 15 years from the date of attestation with good conduct.

Saudi Arabia: Cluster Munitions

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, following Saudi Arabia's commitment not to use cluster munitions in Yemen, whether they intend to re-offer to remove and destroy Royal Saudi Air Force stocks of UK-made BL-755 weaponry.

earl howe: The UK welcomes Saudi Arabia's commitment in December 2016 that it would no longer use BL-755 cluster munitions. The UK takes its obligations under the Cluster Munitions Convention very seriously and continues to fulfil them. In this respect, we have continued to encourage Saudi Arabia to accede to the Convention, on which private dialogue continues.

Department for Work and Pensions

Welfare State: Reform

lord ouseley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what equality impact analyses have been made following the introduction of each welfare benefit change during the past seven years; and what has been the impact on different groups of people, including the elderly, lone parents, disabled people and ethnic minorities.

baroness buscombe: The information requested could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Social Security Benefits: Uprating

the lord bishop of st albans: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer byLord Young of Cookham on 16 November (HL Deb, col 2187), whether they plan to revert to uprating working age benefits in line with inflation at the end of the current four-year freeze.

baroness buscombe: The Welfare Reform and Work Act 2016 has frozen the majority of working-age benefits and tax credits for four tax years, from 2016-17 to 2019-20. These rates will therefore remain the same over this period. Once these provisions cease to have effect, the pre-existing statutory obligations will re-apply, requiring the Government to undertake a review of the rates of tax credits and benefits in light of price inflation in the preceding year.

Families: Disadvantaged

lord farmer: To ask Her Majesty's Government, prior to the Budget Statement, what was their planned expenditure on the Department for Work and Pensions' relationship support work for (1) 2018–19, and (2) 2019–20; and where these figures were published.

lord farmer: To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the Budget Statement, what is their planned expenditure on the Department for Work and Pensions' relationship support work for (1) 2018–19, and (2) 2019–20.

lord farmer: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the funding announced in the Budget Statement for the Department for Work and Pensions' relationship support work will be spent on the department's Reducing Parental Conflict Programme, to be launched next year.

lord farmer: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, in support of their policy objectives to strengthen families, they intend to make available funds for projects other than those specified in the Budget Statement.

baroness buscombe: We published Improving Lives: Helping Workless Families in April 2017 where we announced a spend of up to £30m to launch the new Reducing Parental Conflict Programme.Planned spend in 17/18 is £5.91m. Funding allocations to projects/business areas in future years are decided on an annual basis and are subject to internal prioritisation – the funding that was announced as part of the 2017 Autumn Budget safeguards £15m pa investment on relationship support/parental conflict in 18/19 and 19/20.DWP has no plans to fund other projects than those mentioned in the budget statement, however, strengthening families is a cross-government objective and other government departments will be able to confirm their own plans in this area.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Environment Protection

lord judd: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to enshrine the "polluter pays principle" and the "precautionary principle", as it relates to environmental protection, in British law after the UK leaves the EU; and if so, how.

lord judd: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they planto enshrine all the provisions of Article 191(2) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union in British law after the UK leaves the EU; and if so, how.

lord gardiner of kimble: The European Union (Withdrawal) Bill will preserve environmental principles where they are included in directly applicable EU regulations (which are converted into UK law by the Bill); or in EU-derived domestic legislation (which is preserved by the Bill); or in the case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union (which is relevant to the interpretation of retained EU law). For example, the precautionary principle, referred to in Article 191(2), is included in the REACH Regulation (1907/2006) and the Invasive Alien Species Regulation (1143/2014) and so will be preserved by the Bill in those areas. . The ‘polluter pays’ principle, also referenced in Article 191(2), is referred to in the Water Environment (Water Framework Directive) (England and Wales) Regulations 2017 which will also be preserved by the Bill. Similarly, CJEU case law on chemicals, waste and habitats, for example, includes judgments on the application of the precautionary principle to those areas. This will likewise be preserved by the Bill. Although environmental principles are already central to government policy, they are not set out in one place other than the EU treaties. The Secretary of State therefore announced on 12 November our intention to create a new comprehensive policy statement setting out the environmental principles to underpin future policy making. We will consult on this early next year alongside proposals for a new, independent statutory body to uphold environmental standards.

Zoos: Licensing

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the adequacy of the provisions of (1) the Zoo Licensing Act 1981, and (2) SI 2002/3080 which implemented EC Directive 1999/22/EC.

lord gardiner of kimble: Under zoo licensing legislation zoos are subject to an annual inspection and must comply with the Secretary of State's Standards of Modern Zoo Practice. These are detailed standards for zoo management, including animal health, welfare and husbandry. The standards are kept under review by Defra’s Zoos Expert Committee (ZEC) which includes leading animal welfare experts. Ministers have tasked the ZEC with considering whether any changes need to be made to the zoo licensing system. The Department will consider the recommendations when they are received in due course.

Animal Welfare

baroness jones of moulsecoomb: To ask Her Majesty's Government which sections of the Animal Welfare Act 2006explicitly recogniseanimals as sentient beings; and what assessment they have made of the operation of the provisions of that Acton (1) farm animals, (2) wild animals, and (3) laboratory animals.

lord gardiner of kimble: Section 1(1) of the Animal Welfare Act 2006 defines an animal for the purpose of the Act as a vertebrate other than man. This is because, as stated in the Explanatory Notes to the Act, vertebrates are currently “the only demonstrably sentient animals”. Section 1(3) of the Act provides powers to extend the definition of “animal” to cover invertebrates if scientific evidence shows they are also sentient; that is they “are capable of experiencing pain or suffering”. The main “cruelty” offence in the Act (at section 4) applies to all vertebrates commonly domesticated in the British Islands, whether they can be said to be under the control of man or not and to all other vertebrates under the control of man, or not living in a wild state (“protected animals)”. The Wild Mammals (Protection) Act 1996 specifically protects any other wild mammals from cruelty. The main “promotion of welfare” offence at section 9 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006 covers any vertebrate for which a person is responsible. Therefore the main offences in the Animal Welfare Act cover both farmed vertebrates and any wild vertebrates under the control of man, or not living in a wild state. The cruelty offence at section 4 also applies to any vertebrates used in a laboratory excepting anything lawfully permitted under The Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986.

Home Office

Refugees: Scotland

lord bruce of bennachie: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many refugees have been re-settled in Scotland, per council since May 2016, and from which country each of those refugees originated.

baroness williams of trafford: The Home Office is committed to publishing data in an orderly way as part of the regular quarterly Immigration Statistics, in line with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics.The statistics are available in Volume 4 of the Asylum Data Tables in the most recent Immigration Statistics quarterly publication (April-June 2017) at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/immigration-statistics-quarterly-releaseTable ‘as_19_q’ attached shows resettlement by nationality for those resettled under each resettlement scheme. Table ‘as_20_q’ shows refugees resettled under the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme broken down by receiving local authority. (see table below) We do not routinely publish resettlement data for other schemes by receiving local authority. Table as_20_q: Refugees (and others) resettled under the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement scheme, including dependants, by local authority Back to contentsQuarterRegionLocal AuthorityVulnerable Persons Resettlement scheme2015 Q4*Total*Total1,0852016 Q1*Total*Total5172016 Q2*Total*Total1,0442016 Q3*Total*Total1,5162016 Q4*Total*Total1,2922017 Q1*Total*Total1,6012017 Q2*Total*Total1,228 



Tables as_19q and as_20_q 
(Excel SpreadSheet, 88.3 KB)

Department of Health

Lobbying

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Young of Cookham on 13 November (HL2660), whether money paid to private health service providers for services commissioned by Clinical Commissioning Groups may be used to support the lobbying activities of those providers.

lord o'shaughnessy: Contracts between clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) and private and independent health service providers specify payment for a defined service, which the provider is required to provide within the resources allocated. The Government does not have any authority in relation to how independent sector providers choose to spend any surplus from CCG contracts. The use of any such surplus is bound by the private health service provider’s own governance procedures and the law.

Patients

baroness burt of solihull: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to ensure that appropriate pastoral support is available to non-religious patients in hospitals in England on an equal basis to religious chaplaincy, and whether that support is proportionate to the percentage of patients who describe themselves as non-religious.

lord o'shaughnessy: All those accessing NHS services should have the opportunity to receive pastoral, spiritual or religious care from a National Health Service chaplain. This includes non-religious pastoral and spiritual care to all patients, family and staff who need it. NHS England have published the  NHS Chaplaincy Guidelines 2015: Promoting Excellence in Pastoral, Spiritual & Religious Care for NHS commissioners, NHS trust boards, managers and health care chaplains which stated that adequate provision of pastoral, spiritual or religious care should be made for their service users, and that this provision should be available to both religious and non-religious patients. A copy of the guidelines is attached.



NHS Chaplaincy Guidelines
(PDF Document, 480.77 KB)

Bevacizumab

lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the drug Avastin is available to NHS patients for the treatment of Wet Age-Related Macular Degeneration.

lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimatethey havemade of the cost saving to the NHS for the treatment of Wet Age-Related Macular Degeneration by the use of Avastin instead of the drug Lucentis.

lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessmentthey havemade of the effectiveness of Avastin compared to Lucentis in the treatment of WetAge-Related Macular Degeneration.

lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether patients are given the choice between Avastin and Lucentis in the treatment of WetAge-Related Macular Degeneration.

lord o'shaughnessy: Bevacizumab (Avastin) is not licensed for the treatment of Wet Age-Related Macular Degeneration and it is up to the manufacturer to seek a licence for a specific indication. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is currently developing a clinical guideline on the diagnosis and management of age-related macular degeneration. NICE’s draft guideline, which has been consulted upon and is subject to change, stated that “no clinically significant differences in effectiveness and safety between aflibercept, ranibizumab and bevacizumab have been seen in the trials considered by the guideline committee.” NICE currently expects to publish final guidance in January 2018. Eylea and Lucentis are the brand names for aflibercept and ranibizumab respectively. The Department has made no detailed estimate of the cost saving to the National Health Service if bevacizumab were to be used instead of ranbizumab (Lucentis) for the treatment of age-related macular degeneration. Clinicians can prescribe any treatment in consultation with their patient including an unlicensed product or a product not licensed for a particular indication, which they consider to be the best available medicine to meet the individual clinical needs of their patient, subject to the local commissioner of NHS services agreeing to fund the treatment.

Dentistry

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many NHS dentists there are in England.

lord o'shaughnessy: Data provided by NHS Digital shows there were 24,007 dentists who worked on a National Health Service contract in England for years 2016/17. Dentists are defined as performers with NHS activity recorded by FP17 forms.

Immigrants: Data Protection

lord scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they carried out an equalities assessment on the data sharing agreement on migrants' information that was signed in January between the Home Office, Department of Health and NHS England; ifso, when it was carried out; and what are the equality implications.

lord o'shaughnessy: The potential impact of the arrangements described in the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on the data sharing agreement signed between the Home Office, Department of Health and NHS Digital, was considered before it was agreed, in accordance with the Public Sector Equality Duty under section 149 of the Equality Act and the Secretary of State for Health’s duty on health inequalities. The MOU is subject to ongoing litigation and it would not be appropriate to comment further.

Mental Health: Children and Young People

lord judd: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the YMCA and NHS campaign #IAMWHOLE; and what action, if any, they have taken in response to that campaign.

lord o'shaughnessy: Campaigns such as #IAMWHOLE make an essential contribution to challenging the stigma that surrounds mental health, and Ministers have supported it. The Department has long funded, in partnership with charities, the Time to Change (TTC) campaign to challenge the stigma surrounding mental illness. TTC has campaigned on these issues for over ten years, and has reported to the Department that it estimates it has improved attitudes to mental health of over 4 million people in England.

Tattooing: Eyes

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the risks of eyeball tattoos and the adequacy of the provisions of current legislation.

lord o'shaughnessy: The Government is committed to improving the safety of cosmetic procedures through better training, robust qualifications for practitioners, and better information so that people can make informed decisions about their care. We are currently exploring options to further support this commitment. Tattooing is not a Care Quality Commission regulated activity. However, providers of acupuncture, tattooing, ear and cosmetic piercing, electrolysis (hair removal) and skin colouring, operate under local authority license and within local bye-laws covering cleanliness and sterilisation. Legislation is also in place which makes it illegal for anyone under the age of 18 to have a tattoo. There is no distinction in law at this time regarding eyeball tattoos.

Abortion: Northern Ireland

lord browne of belmont: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Statement by Baroness Williams of Traffordon 23 October (HLWS190) announcing further support for women from Northern Ireland seeking an abortion in England, which (1) organisations, and (2) individuals, they consulted prior to making that statement; and whether those consultations took place with organisations and individuals that do not support abortion.

lord o'shaughnessy: No formal consultation took place ahead of the announcement of the Government’s scheme to fund termination of pregnancy services in England for women from Northern Ireland. However, there has been engagement with stakeholders throughout the development of our proposals including with officials from the Northern Ireland Executive.

Abortion: Northern Ireland

lord browne of belmont: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Statement byBaroness Williams of Trafford on 23 October (HLWS190) announcing further support for women from Northern Ireland seeking an abortion in England, what assessment they have made of the impact of the extension of that support on the process of devolution to Northern Ireland.

lord o'shaughnessy: The provision of funded termination of pregnancy services in England for women from Northern Ireland does not change the position in relation to the provision of abortions in Northern Ireland, which is a matter for the Northern Ireland Executive and the Northern Ireland Assembly. Our proposals do not include the provision of any services in Northern Ireland.

Abortion: Northern Ireland

lord browne of belmont: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Statement byBaroness Williams of Trafford on 23 October (HLWS190) announcing further support for women from Northern Ireland seeking an abortion in England, whether their policy on abortion is (1) neutral, (2) in support, or (3) against.

lord o'shaughnessy: The Government remains neutral on changes to abortion legislation.

Abortion: Northern Ireland

lord morrow: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Statement byBaroness Williams of Trafford on 23 October (HLWS190) announcing further support for women from Northern Ireland seeking an abortion in England, what is their estimate of the number of women who will travel from Northern Ireland to England to seek an abortion in the current and each of the next three financial years.

lord o'shaughnessy: 723 women from Northern Ireland accessed abortions in England in 2016. Our planning has considered estimates that range from 1,000 to 2,000 women seeking access to services in England in each of the next three years.

Abortion: Northern Ireland

lord morrow: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Statement by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 23 October (HLWS190) announcing further support for women from Northern Ireland seeking an abortion in England, what assessment they have made of the finding in the report by the Care Quality Commission, published in December 2016, that several clinics operated by Marie Stopes International were in serious breach of safety guidelines; and what steps they will take to ensure that women attending those clinics receive safe abortions.

lord o'shaughnessy: Marie Stopes International (MSI) are continuing to take a range of actions to address the issues identified in the Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) reports. The CQC re-inspected MSI earlier this year and have made clear that they will not hesitate to take further action, if necessary, in order to guarantee MSI meets the standard of care they expect and that its patients deserve. The Department continues to monitor the situation with particular regard being had to the statutory approval responsibilities of the Secretary of State.

Abortion: Northern Ireland

lord morrow: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Statement byBaroness Williams of Trafford on 23 October (HLWS190) announcing further support for women from Northern Ireland seeking an abortion in England, what assessment they have made of the finding in the report by the Care Quality Commission, published in January, that the Merseyside Clinic operated by the British Pregnancy Advisory Service was in breach of a number of safety guidelines; and what steps they will take to ensure that women attending that clinic receive safe abortions.

lord o'shaughnessy: Following the inspection, a joint action plan between the Care Quality Commission (CQC), BPAS Merseyside, and Halton Clinical Commissioning Group was formulated to ensure all issues raised during the inspection were fully addressed. The CQC is monitoring the action plan through ongoing engagement with BPAS Merseyside. Overall, the CQC has found that improvements continue to be made at BPAS Merseyside both from a clinical and a governance perspective.

Abortion: Northern Ireland

lord morrow: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Statement byBaroness Williams of Trafford on 23 October (HLWS190) announcing further support for women from Northern Ireland seeking an abortion in England, whether women receiving such support will be required to attend an abortion clinic achieving a particular rating by the Care Quality Commission; and if so, what that rating will be.

lord o'shaughnessy: To participate in the scheme providers must be registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and, in the case of independent sector providers, be approved by the Secretary of State to perform abortions. There are no requirements in place based on CQC ratings.

Abortion: Northern Ireland

lord morrow: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Statement byBaroness Williams of Trafford on 23 October (HLWS190) announcing further support for women from Northern Ireland seeking an abortion in England, including support with travel costs for those meeting financial hardship criteria, whether that support will include the costs of accommodation.

lord o'shaughnessy: If an overnight stay is deemed to be clinically necessary, those who meet the financial hardship criteria will have suitable accommodation booked for them.

Abortion: Northern Ireland

lord morrow: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Statement byBaroness Williams of Trafford on 23 October (HLWS190) announcing further support for women from Northern Ireland seeking an abortion in England, including support with travel costs for those meeting financial hardship criteria, what those criteria will be.

lord o'shaughnessy: We have developed criteria similar to that used in the National Health Service low income scheme. To receive support for travel costs women must be in receipt of benefit, such as universal credit, jobseeker’s allowance or income support or have an income of £15,276 a year or less.

Cancer

lord evans of watford: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with NHS England on the projected levels of investment over the next five years on new technology to treat cancer.

lord o'shaughnessy: The Government have already committed an additional £8 billion by 2020/21 to the National Health Service and now committed to backing the NHS in England further so that by 2019/20, it will have received an additional £2.8 billion for frontline services than previously planned over the period. This includes £335 million this winter to help trusts to increase capacity and £3.5 billion of new capital investment by 2022/23 to transform its estate and drive further efficiency savings. In October 2016, NHS England announced a £130 million fund to modernise radiotherapy across England. Over the next two years, older Linear Accelerators radiotherapy equipment being used by hospitals will be upgraded or replaced; ensuring cancer patients have access to the latest, leading-edge technology.

Dental Services

baroness redfern: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of geographical differences in access to dental services across England; and whether differential rates of access account for differences in dental health.

lord o'shaughnessy: National surveys of child and adult oral health identify a number of contributing factors to account for differences in oral health including deprivation, geography, ethnicity and social class. NHS England has a legal duty to commission primary care dental services to meet local needs and to work with local partners to address oral health needs identified in local health needs assessments. NHS England also undertake regular surveys of patient access to National Health Service dentistry, the latest was published in July 2017 and the results from the survey responses are presented at national (England), regional and Area Team level. A copy of Summary of the Dental Results from the GP Patient Survey – January to March 2017 is attached. Access to primary care dental services continues to increase nationally. 22.2 million adults were seen by a dentist in the 24 month period ending 30 June 2017 and 6.8 million children were seen by a dentist in the 12 month period ending 30 June 2017, but we know NHS England has further to go in ensuring access needs are met in all areas. The NHS England Starting Well programme will also operate in 13 high needs areas to reach out to children most at risk of dental decay who are not currently under the care of a dentist. 



GP Patient Survey results
(PDF Document, 891.79 KB)

Dental Health: Disadvantaged

baroness redfern: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to introduce new initiatives to improve dental health in areas of deprivation.

lord o'shaughnessy: Local authorities (LAs) are responsible for assessing the oral health needs of their local population, developing oral health strategies and commissioning oral health improvement programmes. Public Health England (PHE) helps to support LAs in these roles both nationally and locally with ongoing initiatives to improve dental health, particularly in areas of deprivation. PHE has established a Children’s Oral Health Improvement Programme Board with a substantial programme of work with organisational partners. NHS England has recently launched the Starting Well programme, which will work in 13 areas in England with the worst oral health to reach out to families with children under five who are most at risk of dental disease, who may not currently be visiting a dentist. Dental practices are currently in the process of applying to join the programme.

Medical Records

lord warner: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether NHS patients can require (1) their GP, or (2) another NHS doctor to (a) show them their medical records, and (b) provide a copy of such records in whole or in part,digitally or otherwise.

lord warner: To ask Her Majesty's Government under what legal provision an NHS doctor candeny an NHS patient access to their medical records.

lord o'shaughnessy: Patients have a legal right to apply for access to their medical records and to request copies of all medical records about them. Requests should be made directly to the healthcare provider that provides the treatment. Under the Data Protection Act 1998, information can be exempt from disclosure if it ‘would be likely to cause serious harm to the physical or mental health or condition of the data subject or any other person’.